Forrest Fang's ninth solo release finds the composer continuing his particular exploration of instrumental sounds with sources from all over the place, a seemingly casual but clearly well-worked-on power of creation. "Islands in the Sky" is perhaps the first prime moment where everything simply clicks in remarkable fashion, with the feeling of a stately gamelan orchestra shifting into a distant percussion loop and texture -- but then is suddenly transformed again by the combination of a beautiful violin part, serene guitar tones, and further skittering, percussive washes like a gentle rain. This is all done while the majestic progress of the track proceeds without a pause, suffusing the entirety of the experience much in the same way a prime hip-hop production can reassemble all its own parts for maximum impact. Much of the album suggests, in an abstract yet still striking way, the world of Hayao Miyazaki's films, a sense of flight -- apparent from the start with the song title "Tailing Wind" -- and majestic contemplation of the power of the natural world. Heady stuff, but Fang's desire throughout Animism is one of engagement, where quietly ominous two-note bass parts, sweet electronic textured float, bowed and struck instruments, and much more suggest a constant evolution, even as the album moves inexorably toward the concluding "Resting Point." That Fang has found such a productive home on Projekt Records isn't surprising -- not when a song like "A Tributary Unwinds" can call to mind much of Black Tape for a Blue Girl's '90s work -- but importantly, he has long since established his own strong musical voice. -Ned Raggett

L'act giapponese Forrest Fang, accasatosi da ormai oltre 10 anni anni presso l'etichetta Projekt, dà alla luce il suo album più ambizioso, unendo l'ambient minimale dei primi lavori ad una vasta gamma di suoni etnici ed esotici. Gli otto brani di Animism sono infatti sempre caratterizzati dall'unione/sovrapposizione dei synth elettronici a singolari strumenti tradizionali che vanno dalle percussioni ai più ricercati latva, baglama, kulintang, marxolin, bandurria e dan bau, tutti oggetti di cui la gran parte del pubblico ignora forse l'esistenza, ma che di fatto sono in grado di farci fare un virtuale giro del mondo usando solo l'udito. Già l'apertura di "Tailing Wind" ci propone atmosfere da sogno tra new age ed immagini di terre inesplorate, unione esemplare di calma e panorami naturalistici. La successiva "The Chameleon's Paintbox" è il momento più distante dalla classica musica di Fang, grazie alle tonalità di uno strumento a corda che di fatto fa sua la scena della traccia. "Islands In The Sky" alterna soluzioni molteplici partendo con un mood da cosmic-music variato con l'aggiunta di rintocchi percussivi, violino, tribalismi etnici ed ulteriori strumenti arpeggiati.

Ad eccezione di "A Tributary Unwinds", in cui ritornano i toni tribali e gli archi, i restanti quattro brani godono di una compattezza esemplare, i suoni diventano tutt'uno muovendosi sinuosi con tocchi di oscurità nella conclusiva "Resting Point" e architetture circolari e riflessive nella magnetica "Sleeping Snakes": sono questi i passaggi che tendono maggiormente a riallacciarsi ai precedenti dischi di Fang, dove le pulsioni etniche vengono assorbite in uno stile preesistente al fine di variarlo e amplificarne l'effetto uditivo. Indubbiamente in Animism si sentono ancora forti le influenze di gente come Brian Eno e Steve Reich, nonché della musica minimale di Riley e La Monte Young, tutti musicisti cari all'artista nipponico, che riesce però a variare la formula con un'abbondante iniezione di world music, ovvero di influssi provenienti dalle sonorità tradizionali non occidentali. In pratica due anime sognanti, una elettronica e l'altra strumentale, sfociano nello stesso mare, dando vita ad una commistione affascinante che a tratti si fonde a meraviglia ed in altri vede il sopravvento di una delle due correnti. Rispetto ai precedenti lavori di Forrest si avverte un aumento della carica sperimentale, con brani meno ossessivi che lasciano più spazio alla spiritualità. I maggiori punti di contatto si sentono col penultimo album "Phantoms", in cui iniziavano ad emergere delle necessità compositive diverse, ma non ancora così radicali rispetto al passato. Lo stesso Fang parla di questa sua creatura come di un ibrido nato dalla sintesi di tre fonti diverse: sicuramente un'evoluzione stilistica imponente che sta dando risultati importanti. Difficile non esserne rapiti. Rating: 8.5/10 -Michele Viali

At the end of the eighties ambient music was preparing to new heights. In the decade '78-'88 we were witnesses of real musical characterizations: you can think of Eno's soundscapes, the percussive "world" of Hassell, Roach's sonic constructions in the balance between melodic electronic and tribality. In the following decade ('89-'99) the musicians are still looking for new organizations:. many ambient musicians were engaged in the culture and traditions of other parts of the world, but the results were not always optimal: they adhered to projects that respected the formal union between folklore and "ambient" sounds, but that seemed more interested in the audience and the charts. Few musicians preserved a certain purity instrumental: among these representatives of "mystique" purity of the sounds we remember Stephan Micus (see my previous post) that did not use electronic or Kitaro in his initial period. In addition, an American of Chinese origin emerged from this small group of musicians; a man who seemed to have more interest in the degree in legal profession and not so much for the music: Forrest Fang. The turn towards Eno and Roach, (essential points of his inspiration), comes at the end of the eighties, when two events change the course of his thoughts: the first concerns the knowledge of female musician of zheng, Zhang Yan, which marks the eastern philosophy of his compositions, and the second is the record release of "The wolf at the ruins "in 1989, which can be considered one of the masterpieces of world music obtained by electronics. "The wolf at the ruins" is one of those few works where ambient soundscapes, world rhythmicity and oriental sighs are merged and interpenetrated each other.

Fang captured everyone's attention, showing an original musical personality: he showed how it was possible to be "discreet" and "oblique" in a field where these characteristics were hard to find: Fang is exceptional in finding those combinations of drones, percussions and themes that evoke feelings and different cultures, with the perfect blend of past and present. I say "different cultures", because it is undeniable that in his music you feel the meeting that Western people such as John Fahey and Terry Riley had with the East. Anyone can appreciate the special measure in the use of percussion range (from Balinese gamelan to Burma's gongs) and the use of traditional instruments (violins, mandolins and guitars of the Far East) that avoids the bad paths of the new age music: we are sure to always find a refined musical product. You perceive these sensations also in the subsequent album World Diary and in the discrete predominance of Eastern culture in the beautiful Folklore. "The Blind messenger" closes this wonderful time, because from that moment on, Fang will try to focus on just the side "ambient" of his music, with less tension on the side "world". This change is accompanied by his final transition (?) to Projekt Records: he will publish the valid Gongland and Phantoms, two works that highlight the growth of Fang in sound constructions. As regards the collaborations with other musicians, we must remember the empathy with guitarist Carl Weingarten and the minimalist drones of Sans Serif.

Animism brings him back to the level of his best period, with a greater weight given to acoustic instruments (that draw the melodic lines): despite having the support of the mastering of Robert Rich, Fang is wise in the composition, in the construction of his music and therefore he must be part of the protagonists of ethno-electronics area. One more thing: it would be appropriate to reprint the first three albums (LP) of his career, which are very difficult to find!!

Italian original:
Dopo un decennio di rodaggio, la musica "ambient" alla fine degli anni ottanta, si stava preparando a nuovi traguardi. Se in quel decennio ('78-'88) si erano instaurati delle vere e proprie caratterizzazioni musicali (si pensi ai soundscapes di Eno, la percussività world di Hassell, le costruzioni soniche di Roach in bilico tra elettronica melodica e tribalità), quello successivo è ancora alla ricerca di una sua nuova organizzazione. La direzionalità presa dagli artisti verso la new age music aveva provocato già uno spostamento dei musicisti nati come "ambientali" verso sonorità che inglobassero strumenti e sensazioni di molte altre parti del mondo, ma spesso il connubio tra folkore e sonorità ambientali virava in progetti musicali che privilegiavano un risultato che stesse bene anche alle vendite; pochi avevano in mente di preservare una certa purezza strumentale: tra quanti si facevano portavoce di questa purezza "mistica" si ricordano Stephan Micus (vedi mio post precedente) che comunque non usava l'elettronica o Kitaro nel suo periodo iniziale. Tra questi musicisti ne emerse anche uno, americano di origini cinesi, che sembra avesse più a cuore la laurea in avvocatura che la musica: Forrest Fang.

La svolta verso Eno e Roach (che diventeranno i suoi punti imprescindibili di ispirazione) avviene alla fine degli anni ottanta, quando due eventi cambiano il corso dei suoi pensieri: il primo è la conoscenza della suonatrice di zheng, Zhang Yan, che marchia la filosofia orientale nelle sue composizioni; il secondo è la pubblicazione di un album "The wolf at the ruins" nel 1989, che può essere considerato uno dei capolavori della world music di stampo elettronico, uno di quei pochi lavori in cui viene effettuato quel fine lavoro di compenetrazione tra soundscapes ambientali, ritmicità world e sospiri "orientali". Con quell'episodio Fang si impose all'attenzione di tutti, paventando una originale personalità musicale che faceva intravedere come fosse possibile anche essere "discreti" ed "obliqui" in un settore dove tali caratteristiche erano difficile da trovare: Fang è eccezionale nel trovare quelle combinazioni di droni, percussioni e temi che evocano sentimenti e culture diverse, che sanno trovare quella giusta sintesi tra passato e presente.

Dico culture diverse, perchè è innegabile che dentro la sua musica si avverte l'incontro che personaggi occidentali come John Fahey o Terry Riley hanno avuto con l'Oriente. Di lui si apprezza la particolare misura con cui usa la gamma percussionistica (dai gamelan balinesi ai gong della Birmania) e gli strumenti tradizionali (violini, mandolini e chitarre del Far East asiatico) che alla fine smorza molto l'impronta new age, dando vita ad un raffinatissimo prodotto musicale. Queste sensazioni si vivono anche nel successivo "World diary" e nel discreto prevalere della cultura orientale nello splendido "Folklore".

"The Blind messenger" chiude il cerchio con questo meraviglioso periodo poichè da quel momento in poi Fang troverà più opportuno provare ad approfondire il lato esclusivamente "ambient" della sua musica con una minore efficacia della tensione verso aspetti "world" e questo cambiamento verrà evidenziato dal suo definitivo(?) passaggio discografico alla Projekt Record, con cui pubblicherà il primo e valido "Gongland" del 2000. Nei dodici anni passati, Forrest ha inciso poco per la verità e più che con progetti da solista (l'unico cd in tal senso è "Phantoms", un'ispirato lavoro "minore" della sua discografia) ha soddisfatto alcune sue esigenze compositive, lavorando ad un paio di diversificazioni: quella empatica con il chitarrista Carl Weingarten e quella totalmente dronistica (minimalista) del Sans Serif.

Animism lo riporta nuovamente ai livelli del suo periodo migliore, grazie ad una maggiore quantità del peso affidato agli strumenti acustici che dettano le linee melodiche: ormai Fang (a cui si accompagna pressochè costante il sostegno di Robert Rich alla masterizzazione) ha raggiunto una tale sapienza nella costruzione della sua musica che è difficile non farlo partecipe dei musicisti protagonista dell'area dell'etno-elettronica.

Un'ultima cosa: un'accorgimento necessario della sua carriera dovrà essere quello di ristampare o reincidere i primi tre albums (LP) della sua carriera (per la scomparsa Ominous Thud) che già subivano la limitazione delle copie di tiratura e che sono letteralmente introvabili. Spero che Forrest cerchi di provvedere a questa mancanza!

Forrest Fang was an underground staple in the world of tribal ambient music in the 1980s and 90s. As Forrest Fang moved into the 2000s and 2010s, the calming aspect of the ambient music was heightened beyond the shamanic qualities. Animism lacks some of the rich colors of the past, but the soothing colors are there in full brilliance.

“Talking Wind” begins the ritual with a calming intensity like a chase scene from a dream. “The Chameleon’s Paintbox” searches for its soul in the Far East as the droning grows with the bits of Asian chord progressions.

The album moves into more traditional ethereal droning with the dark “Evening Chorus”, lighter “Passing Suns”, and the slippery, winding “Sleeping Snakes”. All of the droning variations funnel into coda “Resting Place”, a solemn breath of experience and relief. Maybe not as varied The Blind Messenger, one of Fang’s bright spots, Animism has just as much wonderful moments of awakening ambiance.

Consider the wild tangle of sound that builds up at the start of “Tailing Wind,” the first track on Forrest Fang’s new release, Animism, the orchestra warming up. Here, in one increasingly complex mass, you hear a wide variety of the sounds and instruments Fang is bringing into play. It’s a rich rainstorm of tones and timbres and feelings that Fang drenches you with before proceeding to pull out an energetic melodic line played on the kulintang, an array of small gongs struck with mallets, playing across a synth-wash backdrop. Thus, Animism gets underway, coasting and soaring on Fang’s mix of electronic foundations and earthy, acoustic instruments. Rich strings sounds form the basis of many of the tracks on Animism; Fang’s arsenal is globally sourced–bandurria, marxolin, baglama, and đàn bầu, along with their less exotic cousins, violin and mandolin. Between strumming, plucking and bowing, their pure organic feel and rhythms breathe life and vibrancy into Fang’s tracks.

In “The Chameleon’s Paintbox,” all those modes of playing fall together and layer into a mesmerizing strata. It opens with a plucked melody–given its swarthy Eastern flair, I would guess it is the Turkish lavda–abetted by the singing notes of bowed strings. Other instruments step briefly out from the chorus, then rejoin the swirl of collective sound. Animism carries a very strong narrative feel as Fang spins out his scenes. “A Tributary Unwinds” begins in a dusky, dense place where careful clatters of percussion and vocal groans peek out from behind the trees; a violin, clear and high describes the course of the water. Fang modulates the pace beautifully as the voyage continues, hitting meaningful pauses that elevate the sense of story and movement. There are also deep ambient drifts on Animism. Long synth pads create the relaxed sigh of “Evening Chorus” as gentle, gong-like sounds resonate in the background. This track has a calm warmth and fading sense that really conveys the passage through twilight. “Resting Point” closes the disc out, 10-minutes of gliding, meditative washes and a wonderfully cleansing feel. Animism is another superb release from Forrest Fang, a rich work that rewards both deep listening and the many repeat plays it will undoubtedly receive.

The brand new work Animism by the Chinese-American ambient exotica virtuoso Forrest Fang is ready to hit the streets in June 2012. After checking the credits on elegant ecowallet packaging, everything is more than clear, Forrest Fang is again unveiling all the secrets of his acoustic wizardry by utilizing many exotic instruments (except violins and mandolins) mostly originated from Mediterranean region (Baglama and Lavta, both stringed instruments), Southeast Asia (Kulintang - a set of horizontally laid gongs, Dan Bau - a monochord, one-string instrument with a rod, serving as a resonator), South America (Bandurria - a stringed instrument, similar to the cittern or mandolin) or North America (Marxolin - a bowed instrument). A long multicultural variety of instruments I must say, among them some that I most likely didn't hear before.

"Tailing Wind" hits straightly this fascinating route with its intense, nearly eclectic blend of strings, percussion and above mentioned Kulintang. This opening composition attracts with a strongly primordial feel. Darker dronescapes of "The Chameleon's Paintbox" are soon joined by an enchantingly expressive palette of euphoric strings. And even if some delicate Western-infused elements join the stage, just close your eyes and you are immediately transported by this ultimate masterpiece into absolutely exciting places, where all the fragrances and glamor of wonderful Middle Eastern palaces can be explored. Magnificently colorful and beautiful piece, Forrest!!! Sorrowful strings with gongs lead "Islands In The Sky" into deeply meditative realms which are later shifting into a chillout phase before journeying into adventurously magical and filigree fusion of finest Asian and Western musical ingredients. Organic groovy exotica at its most alluring! We are encountering a richly sculpted, intriguingly fragranced and skillfully balanced mixture of atmospheric or meditative soundscapes with Forrest's Chinese heritage and Fourth World musical traditions.

The next two compositions, "Evening Chorus" and "Passing Suns" sedate with heavenly floating washes, a purely aural bliss is awaiting for everyone!!! "A Tributary Unwinds" is colored with deeper drones and cavernous disruptions at the beginning, but soon the tribal drumming and string magic steal the show. A performance holding the signature that is only Forrest Fang! The interaction of all acoustics and electronics is just amazing in this composition, to my ears, certainly an Ambient Hall Of Fame virtuosity! "Sleeping Snakes" are joined by heavier and intense spiraling drone sounds enriched by delicate tinkling bells. The closing piece, "Resting Point", precisely displays its title with serenely wandering drifts presenting Forrest Fang at his most tranquil craft! Not to forget, having Robert Rich behind the mastering desk is another bonus. Animism is the next benchmark release of Forrest Fang and one of the indisputable highlights of 2012 so far! Thank you so much, Forrest, for inviting me to experience spectacular adventures and breathtaking scenery of all these extraordinary territories; you are a true sonic innovator!!! -Richard Gürtler

This CD from 2012 features 60 minutes of haunting electronic music. Fang plays: synthesizer, electronics, (acoustic and electric) violin, (acoustic and electric) mandolin, lavta, kulintang, marxolin, baglama, bandurria, dan bau, cane flute, and percussion. This CD blends fourth world instruments with modern electronics to produce a wonderful gestalt of diverse cultures in the form of rewarding tuneage.

The electronics are moody and airy. Texturals provide vaporous backdrops for the melodies, stratospheric vistas ripe with understated glory. While more pronounced electronics establish luscious flows to support the other instruments, sparkling currents of ethereal beauty.

The fourth world acoustic instruments generally fall into two categories: stringed and percussive. The strings produce an uncommon strummed resonance of the type that reverberates in an eerie manner, chords that evoke the calm of reposing beneath boughs heavy with cherry blossoms. While the percussives lend a non-tribal yet primitive edge with their relaxed patter, like metal bowls struck to create single beats which shimmer with a tangible luminosity. The majority of these rhythms are unhurried, serving more as embellishment than locomotion. Meanwhile, ethnic woodwinds generate a breathy presence akin to spirits spinning amid the sonic flow. The violins provide a sharp poignancy with their haunting resonance.

These compositions establish a relaxed temperament dedicated to illustrating how everything (animate or inert) possesses its own life force. This unilateral verve is superbly communicated through fluid melodies that fuse a sense of buoyant drifting with a subtle bounciness. The tunes achieve a spectral appeal that is curiously grounded through the use of the ethnic instruments. Thoroughly worthwhile.

On Animism, Forrest Fang's ninth solo release to date, a large range of vibrant sounding acoustic instruments and a few synths are at play, melting the music culture of the East and the West in a fascinating, but most of all ingenious fashion.

In just an hour, Mr Fang takes his listeners into an exciting and multi-colored world where the exotic and the organic seamlessly melt. The nine highly atmospheric compositions contain lots of energy along more subdued moments, and overall shows quite some similarities with the fine crafted world-music oriented output of Robert Rich (who was in charge of the sophisticated mastering of Animism), but also Al Gromer Kahn, David Parsons and Loren Nerell come to mind.

It’s the smooth soaring and elevating impact of the alchemy of sounds that makes the outcome sparkle and glow softly in the long run. "Tailing Wind" already makes a beautiful entrance to this well-crafted and hypnotizing electro-acoustic journey, but the third track "Island in the Sky" tops it by far, smoothly lifting things up and taking it into an even higher dimension.

Other ear-catchers are "Sleeping Snakes" and "Resting Point, found at the end of "Animism": both paint a warm, resonating and highly contemplative atmosphere. The fact that several of the hybrid, electro-acoustic spaces on the release are graced with some mesmerizing electric and acoustic violin playing along tantalizing percussion, make me recommend Animism even more.

In addition to this recording, Forrest Fang has released the 26-minute Ep "Seeds Of Memory" with five past and present generative pieces, intended to complement the Animism release. It’s available for free in Flac and Mp3 format from the Treetrunk netlabel. -Bert Strolenberg

The music of Forrest Fang allows for a vast range of expression. Across its eight tracks his album Animism (60'26") produces as many distinctive and engulfing soundworlds. Performing on synthesizers, violins, mandolin, cane flute and various other ethnic and percussion instruments Fang realizes a reverb enshrouded music of acoustic and electronic origins. Swirling, surging fronts of sound push the soundscapes found on Animism to the edge of abstraction. The slow sonic motion hypnotizes like an intense meditation while the tighter, more urgent sections take on a terrestrial cast. With its mounting disquiet and desolate vision countered by jungle drumming and rushing torrents of ethereal tones, Animism resides in a unique artistic realm also occupied by works from the likes of Robert Rich, David Parsons and Terra Ambient. This music may be described as World-Ambient or Cyber-Tribal, and these labels may give the uninitiated some guidance. But on his many albums Forrest Fang plays the song of himself. His numerous musical works have always been a pipeline into his inner world. -Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END

Somber resonant chords fall with a dramatic heaviness, raising a delicate whirlwind of tinkled chords which makes "Tailing Wind" to spin between the ambiences of a pastoral ode and an oniric tribal rhythm. This heavy and slow clanic rhythm turns in some fine musical corridors where hypnotic tom-toms, diverse ringings and absent choirs lose their musicality in a dense thick cloud of chords from string instruments, shaping this fascinating spiritual trance which quivers to the measure of our obedience. Lugging around its 8 titles which compose Animism between delicate tribal rhythms inspired by the Middle East and ambiences both spectral and angelic, Forrest Fang invites his listener in a fascinating musical journey built around a surprising panoply of acoustic instruments. "The Chameleon's Paintbox" is a good example of this duality between the mysticism of the tribal trances and the passion of the spiritual hymns with its violent notes of guitar which bite a contemplative structure from which the musicality is filled by an avalanche of strings’ notes which dance on the winds of fine and discreet lines of a synth which, between its harmonies, frees a seraphic choir. The intro of "Islands in the Sky" tears the sky with its breaths of emerald which activate some Tibetan bells. One would believe to be straight into the relaxation exercises ordered by Ray Lynch and his soft “Deep Breakfast”. A fine rhythm is outlined, making move the percussions which whisper on the waves of synth fading away wave by wave to embrace a more lively rhythm. The rhythm is livened up by manual percussions which beat under the shrill tears of a violin before merging into an attractive clanic folk song, hugged by layers of a more redeeming synth. It’s a very beautiful title. "Evening Chorus", which nicely wears its naming, brings us towards the ambient borders of Forrest Fang's 13th album with synth strata chanting with fine bells. Although ambient, "Evening Chorus" is eaten away by a surprising passion and an intense emotionalism; two keywords that encircle pretty well the universe of Animism.

Afterward the multi-instrumentalist American of a Chinese origin moves its intra-personal vibrations with a stunning worship for Eolus and its whims. Animism deflects towards a torrent of winds which will blow with strength and/or passion until the dawns of "Resting Point"."Passing Suns" begins with a slow waltz of drones. These drones are warm and suave. They moderate little by little, letting filter more bright lines under the shape of fine striation of synth which cry and glide over an earth of sorrow. But the anger of these synth winds, as well as violins’, is not satisfied yet. These winds of silver are blowing with such a fury on "A Tributary Unwinds" that they mask the tranquility of the aboriginal tom-toms which try to delude the ferocity with it. The percussions bursts which are scattered by the winds bring us in the feudal universe of Steve Roach. Dense gusts of deserts pursue their merciless road of natural predators on "Sleeping Snakes" and its bells which ring blindly in this ambient universe sat on storms of clays. These ringing resist to the strength of winds to trumpet a soft tinkled serenade which spreads its charm until the finale of "Sleeping Snakes", before that dark and floating winds win back their rights on "Resting Point" to conclude an album to the colors of a melancholy divided between its tribal souvenirs and its ancestral regrets. -Sylvain Lupari

Calling Animism, the ninth solo release by Chinese-American composer Forrest Fang, electronic ambient is a bit misleading, as the hour-long album only occasionally evidences the retiring character of ambient music designed to blend into the environment. And though its album title and theme (the idea that all living and inanimate forms possess a spirit or life force) and track titles (e.g., “Evening Chorus,” “Passing Suns”) invite associations with New Age, Animism is often so dynamic, it makes labeling it ambient or New Age seem inappropriate. World music is the better term, even if it's one derided in some circles, as Fang's music integrates sounds associated with multiple parts of the globe and alchemizes them into a highly personalized and generally harmonious musical vision. Certainly its World Music label is borne out by the instrumental resources Fang draws upon. In addition to acoustic and electric violins and mandolins, echoes of a gamelan orchestra surface, and the sounds of the dan bau (a one-stringed Vietnamese instrument), lavta (a Turkish lute), kulintang (horizontally laid gongs), and cane flutes, among other instruments, also emerge in the album's eight settings. In the long run, however, it might be best for simplicity's sake to think of the recording as some fluid and polyrhythmic distillation of all three genres.

Instead of easing one in gently as one might expect, Fang opens the album in dramatic fashion with “Tailing Wind,” a dream-like swirl of exotic percussion and fortissimo wails that conveys the feel of an hallucinatory spirit evocation being conducted somewhere in the Far East. The album's ‘world' feel emerges even more directly during “The Chameleon's Paintbox” when the pluck of the lavta resounds against a dense backdrop of strings. Yes, there are prototypical New Age meditations (“Evening Chorus” and “Passing Suns”) that form soothing way-stations between the more explorative pieces, and “Resting Point” does close the album with ten beatific minutes of glassy shimmer. But even when a track such as “Islands In The Sky” begins with New Age-styled atmospherics, it quickly grows in intensity and volume once the introductory section is over. Thereafter, the music rises to a level of contained jubilation when double-tracked violins soar sweetly over a bed of swaying hand drum rhythms and glimmering textures. “A Tributary Unwinds” likewise grows progressively more robust when its bells and hand drums enter to lend the sinuous violin playing some added heft.

Labels aside, Animism often impresses on two counts especially: for its rich sonorities, obviously, but also for its compositional design. Its more fully developed pieces such as “Islands In The Sky” and “A Tributary Unwinds” stand out for how satisfyingly they work through their respective stages. Fang has taken great care in not only arranging the album material but in shaping the arc of its pieces. In speaking of Animism, the composer himself has described it as his attempt to harmonize ambient, minimalist, and non-Western folk and classical traditions into a new hybrid style; the resultant work argues that, while the hybrid in question might not necessarily be new, it's certainly effectively realized.